Having had the privilege of coming to Japan and training, I am currently looking at ways to make this available to people across the world. My hope is to be able to help non-Japanese come to Japan and study the martial arts that they love, and get help in finding dojo that will train them. I've known several people here in Japan who have had trouble finding what they wanted to do, or even come across excess hostility, which drove them from doing what they wanted.

My idea is to set up a place for people to stay and help them find friendly places to train here in Japan. I was able to get aid from certain foreigners when I first came here, and this is something I would like to pass on and make available to others.

Is this something people would be interested in? Would you want to come to Japan and get additional instruction in your art? I'm trying to gauge interest and not trying to sell anything, so please either respond to this message or PM me if this is the kind of thing you'd enjoy doing.

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Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft. - Teddy Roosevelt

Before you do that, try this: ask all of the dojo's Sensei in Japan that you now have connections with, if they think it would be a good idea. I'm thinking....no. If they wanted to be visible to tourists, they would have done so on their own.

Also, would Fukuoka be the most convienent location? Being 300 miles to Osaka, 600 miles away from Naha or Tokyo?

This is available: there is an international student program for Japan, China, and Korea. The idea is that you are there to learn the language, but it is done through immersion, you can take MA at the same time. It's called world link education. I don't work for them and I have never used their service so I have no idea of the quality.Roger

I plan to visit Okinawa in the future, with a view of training. However I think the main reason would be to try to expierience okinawan culture at its source, people, food, weather, living the lot......... ah and also train.

I plan to take a month out for this trip, I want to really expierience life in okinawa, and try to understand karates roots and history.

I hope to train in a few dojos, however this is out of my control.

I certainly wouldnt look at a 'pay' your money type trip, I need to be invited, therefore when and how and with who is out of my control.

Im sure i would benefit massivly as a martial artist from this expierience, and it would awnser many questions, and explain many things.

However I do not believe for 1 minute that the actual karate will be any better than what i currently do, apart from the fact that I hope to train 4-6 hours a day which is not possible in my normal life, I am lucky to have fantastic guidence from superb Sensei at home.

No, it doesn't take "a little work" ... it takes an awful lot of work.It doesn't matter what business venture you enter into, people don't just come running to your door. If you want it to be financiable viable you have to work hard, plan, provide and sell your ideas actively.It doesn't matter if it is MA or selling hamburgers, if you want bums on seats you need to work hard !It is a very different matter, of course, if you are a non-profit making and purely interest based organisation/one-man-band; but even then you can quickly be out of pocket too.

Not "little work" ... it's bloody hard work to set up something new. (sorry, am I allowed to say "bloody" ... it was purely meant to stress that being an independant business person or organizer is not easy.

Sorry folks ... "financiable" my brain was working faster than my typing fingers ... I could have sworn that my left typing finger started out at the same time as my right finger; but by the end of the message one of them must have gone out of sync !... combined, of course with the effect of two glasses of the finest bottle of red wine which accompained my lovely wife's home cooking ... oh boy, am I lucky

I shall endavour to correct my grammar in the future, to keep up with the standard worthy of this learned forum.